Mary Droser

National Academy of Sciences welcomes two UCR faculty members

Tracie Ventimiglia — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 22:19:10 +0000

National Academy of Sciences welcomes two UCR faculty members Tracie Ventimiglia Thu, 06/05/2025 - 15:19 More Announcements Jules Bernstein May 02, 2025

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is the highest-profile scientific organization in the country, and membership in it is a career-defining honor newly bestowed on two UC Riverside professors: Mary Droser, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences, and Hailing Jin, Cy Mouradick Endowed Chair of microbiology and plant pathology.

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Mary Droser

National Academy of Sciences welcomes two UCR faculty members

Anonymous — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 20:54:18 +0000

National Academy of Sciences welcomes two UCR faculty members Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 06/04/2025 - 13:54 More News Jules Bernstein May 02, 2025

Though outstanding contributions to science are a prerequisite, membership in the academy is only possible by an election of peers.

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Mary Droser

Tiny worm makes for big evolutionary discovery

Tracie Ventimiglia — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:32:54 +0000

Tiny worm makes for big evolutionary discovery Tracie Ventimiglia Tue, 11/19/2024 - 16:32 More News Sarah Nightingale November 18, 2024

Everyone has a past. That includes the millions of species of insects, arachnids, and nematode worms that make up a major animal group called the Ecdysozoa.

Until recently, details about this group’s most distant past have been elusive. But a UC Riverside-led team has now identified the oldest known ecdysozoan in the fossil record and the only one from the Precambrian period. Their discovery of Uncus dzaugisi, a worm-like creature rarely over a few centimeters in length, is described in a paper published today in Current Biology.

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Mary Droser

Earth’s first animals had particular taste in real estate

Tracie Ventimiglia — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 18:43:32 +0000

Earth’s first animals had particular taste in real estate Tracie Ventimiglia Mon, 11/13/2023 - 10:43 More News Jules Bernstein May 09, 2023

Even without body parts that allowed for movement, new research shows — for the first time — that some of Earth’s earliest animals managed to be picky about where they lived.

These creatures from the Ediacaran Period, roughly 550 million years ago, are strangely shaped soft-bodied animals that lived in the sea. Researchers have long considered them enigmatic.

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Mary Droser

Australian fossil goldmine opens permanently

Mayra Gandarilla — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:53:28 +0000

Australian fossil goldmine opens permanently Mayra Gandarilla Fri, 07/14/2023 - 09:53 More News Jules Bernstein April 26, 2023

Land where a UC Riverside paleontology professor unearthed whole communities of Earth’s oldest animals is opening today to the public as a new national park in the Australian Outback.

Nilpena Ediacara National Park harbors the richest collection on Earth of preserved animal species from the Ediacaran era, around 550 million years ago. Some of the fossil beds found there are the size of a tennis court.

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Mary Droser

Earth might be experiencing 7th mass extinction, not 6th

Mayra Gandarilla — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 19:57:52 +0000

Earth might be experiencing 7th mass extinction, not 6th Mayra Gandarilla Wed, 01/04/2023 - 11:57 More News Jules Bernstein November 22, 2022

Earth is currently in the midst of a mass extinction, losing thousands of species each year. New research suggests environmental changes caused the first such event in history, which occurred millions of years earlier than scientists previously realized.

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Mary Droser

Paleontology Professor Mary Droser wins National Academy of Sciences medal

Anonymous — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 21:42:02 +0000

Paleontology Professor Mary Droser wins National Academy of Sciences medal Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/27/2022 - 13:42 More News JULES BERNSTEIN January 26, 2022

For transforming our understanding of the earliest animals on Earth, UC Riverside Professor Mary Droser has won the National Academy of Sciences’ prestigious Charles Doolittle Walcott Medal.

The medal, part of the academy’s Award in Early Earth and Life Sciences, is an honor bestowed on only one scientist in the world every eight years. It is presented with a $10,000 prize.

Paleontology, Paleobiology, Paleoecology

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Mary Droser

Research shows we’re surprisingly similar to Earth’s first animals

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 15:27:21 +0000

Research shows we’re surprisingly similar to Earth’s first animals Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/05/2021 - 08:27 More News March 08, 2021

"The earliest multicellular organisms may have lacked heads, legs, or arms, but pieces of them remain inside of us today, new research shows.

According to a UC Riverside study, 555-million-year-old oceanic creatures from the Ediacaran period share genes with today’s animals, including humans."

Paleontology, Paleobiology, Paleoecology

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Mary Droser

Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils

Anonymous — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 17:41:57 +0000

Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/30/2020 - 10:41 More News March 23, 2020

A team led by UC Riverside geologists has discovered the first ancestor on the family tree that contains most familiar animals today, including humans.

The tiny, wormlike creature, named Ikaria wariootia, is the earliest bilaterian, or organism with a front and back, two symmetrical sides, and openings at either end connected by a gut. The paper is published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Paleontology, Paleobiology, Paleoecology

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Mary Droser

Australia enables UCR to dig into Earth’s wild past

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 21:15:00 +0000

Australia enables UCR to dig into Earth’s wild past Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 07/24/2019 - 14:15 More News July 23, 2019

Australian officials signed an agreement last night allowing UC Riverside to continue its pioneering research on a government-owned goldmine for unusual fossils.

Nilpena Station is city-sized plot of land in the Australian Outback. It harbors the richest collection on Earth of animal species around 550 million years old. Some of its fossil beds are the size of a tennis court and contain entire communities of organisms.

Paleontology, Paleobiology, Paleoecology

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Mary Droser